COA Paper Addresses Risks of Concurrent Surgeries

Concurrent surgeries, a practice in which the primary surgeon for one procedure is handling another surgery at the same time, is the topic of a new white paper from the California Orthopaedic Association. The practice of concurrent surgeries is well known in the medical community, and is common in trauma situations and at teaching institutions, where residents and fellows assist in surgeries, according to COA. But concurrent surgeries have come under increased scrutiny when a patient was left paralyzed after a spinal operation in which the surgeon was involved in concurrent surgeries —...